New Zealand Bishops criticise
new law decriminalizing abortion
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| A man holds a replica of a fetus, in protest against the legalisation of abortion (AFP) |
The newly approved abortion law in New Zealand is criticised
by the country’s Catholic Bishops who call it “a travesty of human rights”.
By Vatican News
The New Zealand Catholic Bishops say they are “deeply
disappointed” over their country’s new Abortion Legislation Bill. Parliament
passed the Bill on Tuesday by a margin of 68 to 51 votes. Until now, New
Zealand has been the only Western nation to consider abortion illegal.
“This Bill totally ignores the fact that there are always at
least two human lives involved in every pregnancy,” said the Bishops’
spokesperson in a statement posted on their website.
A travesty of human rights
Speaking on behalf of the Bishops, Cynthia Piper, a
professor at the Catholic Leadership Institute, called the Bill “a travesty of
human rights”. “To hold that the fetus is not a legal person ignores the
reality that a genetically unique human life has begun which is neither that of
the mother or the father. That the law fails to recognize this does not change
what is a biological and human fact”, she says.
Failing many women
According to the statement, the Bishops Conference believes
the new abortion law will fail many women. “This law does nothing to help those
women who, for a variety of reasons, choose an abortion because they feel they
have no other choice, whether that is because of partner pressure or for
economic or social reasons”, reads the statement.
“Neither does this law do anything to reduce the overall
number of abortions, something that a majority of New Zealanders have
consistently said they want. It has been rushed through and is ill-considered
in so many ways.”
Lacking compassionate amendments
Furthermore, the Bishops say they are “absolutely dismayed”
that Parliament voted down a host of amendments that would have made the new
legislation much more compassionate. According to the Bishops’ spokesperson,
“These included amendments that would have required babies born alive to be
cared for like any other child, a ban on sex selection abortions, and a ban on
disability discrimination abortions”.
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